Story: 7
The first four or so episodes of this were not to my liking. Almost entirely because the series was so rushed. There's a few small arcs within the story in the first couple episodes and there were so many details cut out I was beginning to believe that the entire show would be this cut and quick. I got the impression that the showrunners wanted to power through the arcs leading up to the main Alma Karma arc, and it shows. Characters and plot points prior to Alma were practically tossed to the side. And while the Alma arc was truly a great arc with many incredibly interesting plot twists and character developments, the events leading up to it are no less important. Characters such as Timothy were, in my opinion, just tossed aside as minor details in the anime when in reality they had an entire arc dedicated to their development with (most likely) the intention of being more important later on. These first few episodes are, without a doubt, the weak link of the entire show.
However, as the series progresses and we find ourselves in the main arc of the series, that is when things became much more intriguing for me. As I said before, the Alma Karma arc is really packed full of information and the show begins to take it's time and savor the moments within this arc. Alma himself is a bit of a spoiler, so there is little I can say about him without revealing important details, but it is an arc that many fans were looking forward to since it directly ties into Kanda Yu's backstory, a tale which had not been told in the 2006 D.Gray-Man series. All of the other main characters, such as Lenalee and Lavi, had their backstories told in order to give the audience a better understanding of them as characters. Kanda was given no such luxury, until now at least. His childhood is without a doubt one of the most interesting, and it was a treat to see it animated even a decade after the original series aired.
Art: 7
Another notable point that needs to be discussed is the art. Since it is 8 years after D.Gray-Man, there is a bit of difference in the art. Not just a bit, actually... a huge difference. There are times when I found myself loving the art and times I just kind of “ehh??” The art is /much/ more vibrant and colourful than the original, bordering on a pastel colour scheme. It is truly up to the watcher whether this is a positive or negative. Certain battles between characters really stood out to me, notably during the Alma arc, and I can appreciate the show for making the style quite a contrast from the original. However, there are also times when a more subtle and even more 'dull' appearance would have worked in the show's favor. During the more somber and mournful moments, I almost would have preferred the 2006 art style when the art was /literally/ darker. This isn't to say that the art is bad, not at all, it's just a matter of preference.
Sound: 7 / 8
There was an entire new cast of voices brought in for the series. At first I was hesitant because I'm the kind of person who doesn't like change. But very quickly the talent of the new voice actors came through and brought the characters to life beautifully. There was some incredible raw power and emotion coming through the screen; evidently the voice actors gave it their all and I couldn't ask for more.
Interestingly enough, there were several songs in the series that were the same (though mildly different) from the original. Perhaps it was my imagination, but there were multiple times I thought “hey I know that song” but remade and updated to fit the new series. A small detail that I thought was clever since it shows that there are ties to the original more than just using the same characters.
Character: 5
Kanda, Alma, and Allen are all given very interesting story arcs in this series. Unfortunately, I felt that there were several other characters who deserved just as much attention but their stories were cut for some reason. Characters such as Link and the 3rd Exorcists had some history that we got a sneak peak into but deserved to have more time put into establishing them as more than just background noise. Same goes for Timothy, a new exorcist introduced very early in Hallow. His entire story was cut tremendously so that only a few episodes were dedicated to it when in reality I believe he deserved more screentime.
Simultaneously, the introduction of several new Noah's felt a bit messy at times. Very little time was given toward introducing them; however this is not necessarily the fault of the show as much as it is the fault of the manga; I can only assume that more information about them will be given later on in the story but for this series, many of them were only given 1 line at the most. My hope is that more time will be given to the minor characters in the future, because in this series it was lacking on the 'character' front.
Enjoyment: 8
As I said before, once the Alma arc hit things started to look up. I found myself much more engaged in what was happening on screen. Allen's development and conflict with the Fourteenth, as well as the tension that builds within the Black Order kept me on the edge of my seat. The stakes are higher than they have ever been. So many things that we had hoped to see 10 years ago in D.Gray-Man are finally happening; all the characters we know and love make appearances and give us a satisfying yet short arc to tide us over until the new season comes out (whenever that may be). I certainly think that returning fans will find enjoyment in this new season despite its differences to the original.
Overall: 7
The series has some problems, I think the pacing could have been better and there are times the art felt like a bit too much, but it is a great ride. I enjoyed watching it, I enjoyed seeing these characters again after so many years and I can only hope that we will get another season in the near future that follows the manga's storyline in the way this one has. If you like D.Gray-Man, I'd say check this season out.
